


Lie

by AriannJS



Category: giyushino - Fandom, 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)
Genre: F/M, giyushino - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriannJS/pseuds/AriannJS
Summary: “Just one truth, Shinobu. Tell me just one truth. Then I’ll leave. If that’s what you want.”
Relationships: Kochou Shinobu/Tomioka Giyuu
Comments: 14
Kudos: 92





	Lie

**Author's Note:**

> Casually spitting nonsense through 4k plus words featuring GiyuShino.

“You seem like someone who doesn’t have friends.”

Giyuu stared blankly at the woman in front of him. This wasn’t the kind of morning greeting he was expecting from the new barista in one of the most famous coffee shops in Tokyo, yet it was what he got.

The purple-eyed woman chuckled. “Sorry, that was right off the bat. Let me start over.” She straightened her shoulders and shot a tight-lipped smile, making Giyuu raise an eyebrow. “Good morning, sir. What’s your order?”

Sighing, he took out his wallet from his back pocket before telling the barista what he was there for, “One Americano. Venti.” Then he handed her the bill.

“Oh! No, please. It’s on me.”

Giyuu raised an eyebrow once again. “This is the first  _ Slaybucks _ branch where I experienced a barista treating a customer.”

A melodic giggle filled the partly empty place. “There’s always a first in everything, don’t you think?” Then the woman smiled sincerely at him while extending her hand. “Shinobu Kocho.”

Giyuu’s gaze landed on the pale hand in front of him. When he didn’t return the handshake, Shinobu tilted her head to one side with her smile still painted on her face.

“I don’t bite.”

Giyuu rolled his eyes before finally extending his hand as well. Whatever this woman had in mind the first time she saw him, there’s something about the fierceness in her eyes that told him she doesn’t lie. 

And that’s all that mattered to him.

“Giyuu Tomioka.”

* * *

“That’s a lot of coffee as always, Tomioka-san! Are you even able to sleep at night?” Shinobu chided Giyuu who was seated in front of her at  _ Slaybucks _ an hour before her shift.

“Sometimes.”

“Sometimes? What are you, a vampire?”

Rolling his eyes, Giyuu pushed the slice of cake they were sharing towards her. “I would’ve sucked your blood the first time I met you if I were one.”

“I would’ve slain your head though," Shinobu stuck her tongue out at her first-ever customer two months ago who happened to be her schoolmate as well.

“Just study, Kocho.”

This time, she rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to study.”

Giyuu stopped her hand from putting the fork in her mouth and changed its direction. “You’re not that smart.”

“Hey! That butterfly chocolate topping was supposedly mine, right?!”

“Whatever.” Giyuu only relaxed on his seat as he resumed scanning his notes.

“You…!” Shinobu huffed, but the moment her eyes met his, she felt it again. The same feeling that she felt when Giyuu entered  _ Slaybucks _ on her first day at her part-time job was rekindled. She immediately looked away. “Next time, I would buy my slice of cake.”

“If you have the spare money to do so.”

Shinobu groaned. “My goodness! Fine! You’re so filthy rich!”

Giyuu placed his notebook on the table before opening his laptop. Unable to hide his curiosity, he asked, “Where does your salary go anyway? I don’t see you buying pricey stuff, so surely you’re saving them, right? Why don’t you try to spend them on yourself every once in a while.”

Silence surrounded their table before Shinobu spoke again. “Can’t do that. My salary goes to more important things.” Then she ate the last bit of the cake as Giyuu stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Like?”

“Oh, it’s time for my shift! Do well on your exams, Tomioka-san!”

And just like that, she stood up and went to their dressing room, leaving Giyuu alone at the table. Whatever was inside her mind moments ago, there was something about the loneliness in her eyes that made him feel that he wanted to be with her more.

Besides, she was right when she told him that he seemed like someone who doesn't have many friends. At least, he now has one.

* * *

"Tomioka-san! Tomioka-san! Your eyeglasses are blurry again, aren't they? Look at your watch."

"What's the problem?"

Shinobu crossed her arms on her chest as she tried to restrain her laughter with a pout. "Tomioka-san, it's ten minutes till 10 PM.  _ Slaybucks _ is about to close and you're still here again."

Blinking, Giyuu moved his eyeglasses in place with a finger before replying, "Ah. Alright." Then he started closing his laptop. "I'll wait outside then."

"Wait? For what?"

Giyuu glanced back at her, head tilted to one side. "Huh? For you."

Shinobu's lips parted at his response, unsure how to react. The gesture may be simple but she found herself speechless because it was the first time that someone expressed the desire to wait for her.  _ Or, was it his intention every time he comes home late? _ The idea made her cheeks heat up. "I-I'll prepare to close the café then. See you outside."

Giyuu was unable to stop a smirk from forming on his face when Shinobu retreated to the barista's area. He didn't know it felt nice seeing her react that way because of him, yet he didn’t want to provoke her too much.

Whatever was inside her mind while she blushed profusely, there was something about the wonder in her eyes that made him feel satisfied with the way he acted around her. If she needed him to wait for her and take her home every single day, he would be glad to do it with no reservations.

* * *

“You...you want to date my sister?”

“If that’s alright with you, Kanae-san.”

“My, my. I...wow.” Kanae, Shinobu’s elder sister, was out of words after hearing Giyuu’s confession. She was already surprised when the man visited her in her clinic, but she was all the more surprised by the words that he said. She cleared her throat. “If I could ask you, Tomioka-kun...why?”

Taken aback, Giyuu swallowed hard upon hearing the older Kocho’s response. He parted his lips to answer, only to close his lips again.

Kanae almost laughed. She mumbled, “She’s right when she mentioned that you’re adorable.”

“What?”

“Nothing, Tomioka-kun. I just want to know the reason why you want to date my sister, and then I’ll decide from that.”

Giyuu looked down at his hands, remembering the times they have brushed hers accidentally and even on purpose. He recalled the times she smiled at him when she passed by him in school, studied with him at  _ Slaybucks,  _ and walked with him as they went home. Those moments were petty at first, but they eventually mattered to him more than anything else because of her mere presence.

From now on, he wanted to do anything just for Shinobu to be by his side.

He looked up and met Kanae’s eyes once again. With determination, he said, “She matters to me. I want to love her and take care of her in the best way I can.”

Whatever Shinobu had in mind about him or the two of them, he wanted her to know how much she meant to him.

* * *

“You’re unusually silent today, Tomioka-san.” Shinobu paused. “I mean, you’re naturally silent, but your inability to speak properly is much worse right now. Is something wrong?”

Giyuu shifted his gaze to the passing cars on the street. The sidewalk was empty other than the two of them, and he wondered if it was already the right opportunity to tell her something that he has been keeping from her within the past month.

To his surprise, Shinobu walked past him and stood in front of him, putting her thin hands on his chest for him to stop walking. “Yoohoo! Are you here, Tomioka-san? A penny for your thoughts perhaps?”

Giyuu’s eyes widened as they locked with hers. It was the first time they had been this close. And Giyuu couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her purple eyes and long lashes as he observed them a few centimeters away. They were warm and inviting as if they didn’t want him to look anywhere else.

So he didn't.

“Shinobu,” Giyuu finally said after a few moments.

“T-tomioka...san?” Shinobu was tongue-tied upon hearing her first name. She felt the vibration in Giyuu’s chest as he called her, causing her to drop her hands and glance anywhere except his face. “I...uhm, yes?” She muttered under her breath. She could still feel his gaze at her, making her bite her lip.

Until he said, "Shinobu, I want you."

Shinobu gasped, her purple orbs clashing with his blue ones while she parsed three simple words that suddenly felt so difficult to understand. “Y-you what?”

For a second, Giyuu was confused with her response for he was half-expecting that she would be glad about his confession. But her steely eyes felt like a punch in his gut. “I said I want you, Shinobu. I like you.”

“No.”

“What?”

She was shaking her head with her eyes shut while Giyuu remained frozen in place.  _ Was that a rejection? _

Her gaze remained fixed on the ground as she fiddled with the hem of her  _ Slaybucks _ uniform, giving Giyuu a tinge of hope that maybe she was just surprised with how he said things. 

“You're too precious to be a part of my life, Tomioka-san.”

Yet that spark of hope was devoured again. “What...what do you mean, Shinobu?”

“It's my fault. It's my fault! I should've just treated you like a normal customer when I met you. I shouldn't ha—I'm sorry, Tomioka-san, I’m sorry. It shouldn't have come to this. You shouldn't fall in love with someone who's—"

"Who's what, Kocho? Tell me. I'm not understanding anything here."

"Nothing!” Shinobu glanced up at him, her eyes now brimming with tears. “Just...just choose somebody else, Giyuu. Just...not me. I'm sorry."

And then she was gone.

Whatever was in her mind moments ago, there was something in her glassy eyes that screamed she wanted him too.

* * *

  
“Excuse me, uhm...Kanroji, right?”

“Oh! Hai! How may I help you, si–?” The pink-haired barista’s eyes widened upon seeing him. “Oh. You’re Tomioka-san, aren’t you?” 

Giyuu nodded in response. He wasn’t eloquent enough to make the conversation longer, so he simply went straight to the point. “Where’s Kocho?”

At the mention of the other barista’s surname, Mitsuri Kanroji frowned from the bar. “She already resigned a week ago.” She then turned to the masked person beside her who was preparing a cold drink. “Right, Iguro-san?”

Obanai Iguro gave her a nod before looking at Giyuu. “She’s been going to work tired and having headaches most of the time, we don’t know if her resignation had something to do with it. It was actually our boss who suggested for her to take a leave, but then she chose to resign, said she had important matters to deal with.”

She’s been going to work tired? Was she getting sleepless nights like him too? His heart constricted at the thought.

He simply thanked the pair before leaving  _ Slaybucks _ , wondering where else to find her. They didn’t cross paths on the campus despite his efforts in going there as early as she used to. And just now, he learned that she already resigned at work, something he thought she wouldn’t do for having this job was her way of helping her sister.

For a moment, the guilt surged inside him for he didn’t need convincing for him to know that it was his fault. Does she really not want to see him anymore, to the point of having to leave the place where they met? Does she intentionally avoid him in school to not have a confrontation with him again?

Giyuu wasn’t a communicative person, but he’s the kind that always desired the truth. So he decided that he would still try his best to find her, so he could talk with her even if it would be the last time.

He heard the sound of a bell from behind him, signaling that  _ Slaybucks _ ’ glass door has opened. Turning to it, he found Mitsuri with a determined expression on her face.

“Tomioka-san, I know you want to see her. And I can see that you love her.”

Giyuu swallowed hard, surprised that his feelings were obvious to the other barista. He allowed her to continue.

“So I suggest that you go to her sister, Kanae-san, if you want to see Shinobu.”

“Her sister?”

Mitsuri smiled. “Yes! There’s no way she wouldn’t know where Bubu is.”

Giyuu’s lips parted, feeling as if a light bulb was lit up above his head, many thanks to Shinobu’s workmate and friend. Why didn’t he think about that earlier?

With a new resolve, Giyuu thanked Mitsuri before making his way to the hospital where Kanae worked.

Whatever Shinobu would think of him after all these, Giyuu wanted her to know that he was serious about her.

* * *

“Is Kanae Kocho in the area right now?”

The nurse behind the counter scrutinized his face if he had a hideous plan for the nurse he was looking for. She cleared her throat. “What’s your name, Sir? Do you have an appointment with her?”

“Ah, uhm...Giyuu Tomioka. I...don’t have any appointment. Gomena–”

Giyuu was suddenly cut off by the sound of weak laughter coming from down the hallway. He stiffened, before slowly turning and seeing familiar shoulder-length tresses with purple highlights.

_ Shinobu. Why are you… _

“Sir, if you don’t have an appointment, I suggest you sign up here so y–sir? Sir!”

Giyuu barely heard the nurse as he quickly made his way towards where Shinobu was going. He wished he was wrong but his vision was 20/20 so he couldn’t deny that he saw her in a wheelchair. His heart raced as he turned right, only to halt when he didn’t see her and the nurse assisting her.

He felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over his head. Swallowing hard, Giyuu checked the patients’ names on each door with questions running in his mind.

_ Is she sick?  _

_ Did she encounter an accident? _

_ How long has she been confined? _

_ Or perhaps the right question is...how long has she been ill? _

He reached the last door on the left, embracing disappointment. As expected, Shinobu Kocho was written in capital letters on the door. He felt nervous yet determined to know what happened to her. He was dismayed yet excited to see her again.

Giyuu was about to knock when the door opened, revealing a surprised Kanae in her nurse uniform.

“Onee-chan? What’s wrong? Who’s–”

Giyuu heard something shattered inside the room and immediately, Kanae returned to her sister’s side.

“Shinobu-chan! Are you okay?”

“I…Onee-chan, how did he...”

“I don’t know. But, maybe it’s about time, Shinobu-chan? What if you’re wrong? He deserves to know.”

Not knowing how to react as he overheard the sisters’ conversation, Giyuu simply stood by the door, afraid that any moment he does might be uncalled for.

He heard Kanae sigh. “I’ll put these in the trash and leave you two. Will you be okay?”

The annoyance and disappointment were palpable in Shinobu’s voice when she replied. “I don’t know.”

Kanae sighed again before turning to Giyuu. She nodded at him and instantly, Giyuu pushed the door open. She then left to give the two some privacy.

Giyuu didn’t know how to begin. What was it that he wanted to tell him once he found her? He hardly even remembered. He gazed at her as she sat on the hospital bed, trying to gauge her condition. It wasn’t difficult to notice that she lost some weight and she looked a bit paler, but to Giyuu, she’s still beautiful.

“Shinobu,” he breathed.

“How did you find me, Tomioka-san?” She was smiling now as if nothing was wrong with her and she wasn’t irritated with the revelation that he found her.

But Giyuu didn’t answer her question. The first thing that he was able to say was, “I missed you.”

The way Shinobu’s lips parted and her eyes brimmed with tears made his heart clench. Did he say the wrong thing? 

“Why are you here?”

“I...I don’t know.”

“What?”

Giyuu glanced at the tiled floor. “Maybe I just want to see you. Maybe I want to apologize. But that’s the truth, I don’t know.”

Shinobu laughed humorlessly. “You’re still a klutz, Tomioka-san.”

“Yeah, and I still want you.” He faced her this time, his blue eyes determined as they captivated her purple ones.

She looked away. “I’m grateful, but I told you to choose somebody else, Tomioka-san. I thought I have been clear.”

Giyuu approached her slowly, stepping on a shard of glass that Kanae probably missed a while ago, yet he didn’t care. It was as if his heart was broken into pieces in the same way as he absorbed Shinobu’s words. “I don’t accept that, Shinobu. Why can’t I choose you? Why can’t I fall in love with you?”

With clenched fists, Shinobu started tearing up while she continued to gaze at the window. “Because you shouldn’t.”

“That’s nonsense. For once, can you please tell me the truth, Shinobu? Are you hiding something from me?”

“It is not my responsibility to tell you everything, Tomioka-san. Besides, you’re just a customer at  _ Slaybucks  _ and a schoolmate at KNY University, right?”

Giyuu felt as if a blade cut through his chest. Was that all that he was to her? There was a pregnant silence in the room as Giyuu tried his best to not beg her to love him back. He then said after a few moments, “Just one truth, Shinobu. Tell me just one truth. Then I’ll leave. If that’s what you want.”

Shinobu glanced back at him with widened eyes upon hearing his last statement.

A part of him wanted to think that that look meant she wanted him to stay, yet by now, he wasn’t even sure anymore if the girl in front of him was the same girl he has fallen in love with after almost a year.

“You badly want a truth?” Wiping her tears, Shinobu fully turned to him. “I’m dying, Tomioka-san. That’s it, I’m dying. So you may go and leave now because that’s what everybody does to someone weak and frail like me.” She began sniffling then, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face. “I don’t...deserve your love, Giyuu. I deserve none of it. When I met you, I didn’t intend for you to fall in love with me. This is all my fault. But you are free from me now. I hope I have made it clear this time.”

“I changed my mind.”

A glint of pain passed through Shinobu’s eyes. She looked down, fiddling with the blanket on top of her frail legs. “Good. Let...let go of your feelings for me, because that’s the best deci–”

“I changed my mind, I’m not leaving.”

“W-what?” 

Although in pain after hearing the truth, Giyuu firmly said, “I’m staying with you through all these, Shinobu. That’s my final decision.”

“G-giyuu…” Shinobu felt Giyuu’s warmth when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. Weakly, she gripped his forearm as she continually cried against him. “You shouldn’t, Giyuu. You shouldn’t. Y-you deserve someone...someone who’s better...someone who’s...Giyuu, I don’t deserve this.”

Giyuu’s heart constricted as he buried his face in her hair. But since she told him the truth she’s been hiding from him, he wanted to be honest with her as well. “I loved you not because you’ve shown me the strong side of you all the time, Shinobu. I loved you not because of you being happy-go-lucky. I will love you even when you’re not at your best. I want all of you, Kocho. All of you.” He hugged her tighter, knowing he has never been this sure. “And I don’t care about your condition ’cause I’d rather stay with the woman I love no matter what happens than forget her and live with regrets just because of a circumstance.” 

With hands as gentle as water, Giyuu cupped Shinobu’s face and wiped her tears with his thumb. Then he closed the gap between them and kissed her as ardently as he could.

Whatever Shinobu felt during that kiss, Giyuu wanted to assure her that he will be there with her no matter how many waves they face. 

As long as they have time.

* * *

“Those were the happiest three months of her life, Tomioka-kun. I’ve never seen her that happy when we were younger.”

Giyuu remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

“I can’t thank you enough, Tomioka-kun. Thank you for giving my sister the glint of hope that she needed to see while she was alive. Thank you for taking care of her while she was having her chemotherapy. Thank you for loving her and for never leaving her side. I’m sorry it had to end this way.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Kanae-san,” he finally replied with his voice hoarse. His eyes never left the name of his lover engraved on a marble headstone in front of them. “I chose to love Shinobu no matter what happens. And even now, I could say that my heart still belongs to her.”

Kanae’s tears trickled down her face for the nth time that day. “I’m so happy she met you. I really am.” After a few moments, she gasped and began rummaging through the contents of her bag. “I forgot to give you this.”

Turning to Kanae, Giyuu accepted the envelope from her. “What’s this?”

“It’s from Bubu.” Kanae smiled weakly. “She told me to give it to you once…”

Giyuu simply nodded in understanding. His heart suddenly raced as he stared at the envelope. He couldn’t believe that Shinobu left something for him. But at the end of the day, Giyuu knew it would be the only thing he could have.

Kanae left the cemetery after a few minutes. When he was left alone, he finally took the opportunity to open the envelope from Shinobu, finding a letter there.

_ Hi, my Tomioka-san! _

_ I’m writing this knowing that my time’s already up. Well, that’s what I’ve always known while growing up anyway. But this time, I’m more sure. So I want to at least be able to tell you what’s inside my heart before I go. _

_ Thank you, Giyuu. For coming into my life on that day I finally tried to believe that I deserved to live. When I saw your frowning face, I didn’t immediately think you were handsome, but boy, you were oh so charming! Part of me wanted to be professional that day but the bigger part of me wanted to try to make you smile. Well, we both know I failed that day, but when I continued to see you in school and the cafe, I realized that making you happy was the goal I wanted to achieve at least before I die. _

_ You were always alone. And I’ve always known what that felt like, so I tried my best to be with you whenever I can. And when I did, I didn’t realize I was already falling for you. I didn’t realize that at the back of my head, I was already dreaming to be a Tomioka too.  _

_ Initially, I wanted to avoid you, but can’t. I wanted to let my feelings go, but can’t. Until you told me that you wanted me. My heart burst with joy, but it also shattered at the thought of you being attached to me and then me leaving you alone eventually. _

_ I’m so sorry that I pushed you away. I’m so sorry that I hurt you before I told you that I love you back. But again, thank you, Giyuu, for choosing to stay. Thank you for sacrificially loving me. Thank you for being selfless in taking care of me. _

_ There were times that I wished I met you earlier, but our ending would remain the same ‘cause I’d be leaving you anyway. Still, I hope I made you happy despite the short time I’ve been with you, my love. _

_ Continue smiling for me, okay? Don’t miss me too much. I’m sorry, my Giyuu. I love you. _

_ Yours, _ _   
_ _ Shinobu Kocho _

Now that he knew what was in her mind the first time he met her, he wished he could’ve told her that she succeeded in making him happy especially when she finally told the truth that she loved him too.

**Author's Note:**

> October 2020 (c) AriannJS


End file.
